Order to Return
Order to Return
Three months later, the Imperial Capital.
The Imperial Palace gardens.
"Has the Republic still not managed to shake off its lull?"
Empress Selvia spoke as she walked ahead through the early summer garden where hydrangeas were beginning to come into full bloom.
Dressed in a pure white uniform with a red cape draped over her shoulders, she exuded the dignity of the sovereign.
Chief of the General Staff Arman, who had been walking behind Selvia, nodded.
"That is correct. The Imperial Army successfully repelled the Republic's general offensive. Under Your Imperial Majesty's wise leadership, our soldiers have once again proven why the Empire is a great nation."
"......Repelling those bastards does not mean the war is over."
"You are not wrong. First of all, the Republic has suffered enormous losses and is highly likely to be facing limits in its logistics and industrial capacity. Its leadership will also face fierce condemnation."
The chaos the Republic faced after its failed general offensive must have been unimaginable.
It hadn't ended with a failed attack; Daniel Steiner had gone so far as to seize the fortress city of Lakedrapol from them, a shock that must have struck the entire nation like a hammer blow.
Yet it was too early to feel at ease.
"If it weren't a two-front war, the Republic would have raised the white flag. The only reason the Republic hasn't raised the white flag right now is because the Allied Nations are still holding out on the Eastern Front, so they've judged they have enough time to reorganize."
Selvia let out a low sigh.
"The fact that they think the Imperial Army cannot counterattack is also a major factor. After all, our forces also suffered considerable damage while repelling the Republic's invasion."
"Your Majesty's words are correct."
"In that case, the Empire has only one option left. No matter how much we attempt negotiations and try to act rationally, if the other side behaves like an unbridled beast......."
Selvia stopped walking and clenched her fist tightly.
"It would be better to show them the very trump card the Empire has been preparing all this time. A beast, after all, only tucks its tail when you show it the disparity in strength."
Selvia's clenched fist was trembling faintly.
Understanding the meaning behind Selvia's words, Arman bowed his head deeply.
"......Under Your Imperial Majesty's leadership, the world will accept a new order."
He could not even dare to imagine how much agony had gone into Selvia's current remark—Selvia, who had imprisoned herself within the immense power of the imperial throne.
Amid the silence, as the wind blew, Selvia took a deep breath and unclenched her fist.
"The time has come. Summon to the Imperial Capital everyone involved in what I am about to do."
"That means......."
"Yes. It means that Major General Daniel Steiner is also to return to the Imperial Capital."
Roughly three months prior, the General Staff Headquarters had recommended that Daniel Steiner return to the Imperial Capital.
Because it had been a recommendation, not an order, Daniel Steiner had refused to return on the grounds that 'I am still needed in the occupied territory.'
Since Her Imperial Majesty Selvia had tolerated this, the General Staff Headquarters had also accepted Daniel Steiner's opinion.
But this time, Selvia had personally issued a recall order.
As it was an order given directly by Her Imperial Majesty, Daniel Steiner no longer had any justification to refuse.
She was surely summoning the great commander Daniel Steiner in order to plan the final battle.
This meant Selvia was that serious about ending the war now.
"Too many people have shed their blood."
The wind scattered Selvia's golden hair.
"Too many people have lost their families."
Selvia's blue eyes, clouded entirely by weariness, were fixed somewhere far away.
"So long as I stand over all of them, I cannot be free of responsibility. That is why I have worked tirelessly. Now that the fruits of that labor are right before my eyes, I must not hesitate any longer."
Arman remained silent.
"Chief of the General Staff. What kind of emperor will I be recorded as by posterity?"
Arman bowed his head deeply.
"You will be recorded as a wise ruler who devoted herself to the Empire."
"A wise ruler, you say."
Selvia let out a low laugh.
"How ridiculous. How could I, who was targeted by countless assassination attempts and ultimately threatened with the usurpation of my throne, be a wise ruler? If not for Major General Daniel Steiner, I would not even be standing in this place."
Selvia's eyes narrowed gently.
"Whenever history evaluates me, it will always mention the name of Daniel Steiner. I suspect that he and I have become inseparable even in history."
Selvia, who had slowly closed her eyes, recalled Daniel's face and voice.
"I always miss him, but for some reason, that feeling is especially strong today."
When the crushing weight of responsibility pressed down on her shoulders, what had allowed Selvia to endure was Daniel.
Although the directions they pursued were slightly different, Selvia, like Daniel, longed for peace in this world more than anyone.
To Selvia, Daniel was both a beloved person and a pillar of support who shared the same goal.
'So.......'
She could not help but hope that he would return to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible.
*
Meanwhile, in the fortress city of Lakedrapol.
Daniel Steiner's office, located in City Hall.
"......Am I really seeing this right?"
Daniel Steiner, standing by the window, spoke as if dumbfounded.
Lucy, standing right beside him, was equally perplexed.
"It is an unexpected turn of events indeed."
Right now, about a hundred or so citizens were staging a protest in front of City Hall.
The problem was that the nature of the protest was hardly something you would see in an occupied territory.
【Major General Daniel Steiner, Do Not Abandon Lakedrapol!】
【Keep Your Promise to Make Lakedrapol a Good City to Live In!】
【Do Not Leave This City! General Daniel!】
Every sign the citizens were holding was inscribed with words refusing Daniel's return to the Imperial Capital.
Daniel, who had taken a sip of the coffee Lucy had poured for him, let out a dispirited sigh.
"What did I even do to make them support me this much?"
"Did you not save a child of the Republic, and on top of that, weren't your own words about caring for the city's citizens recorded and spread around? Even afterwards, you administered the city without any harsh measures. There are even rumors among some citizens that life has gotten better than before the occupation."
Daniel frowned.
"Life is better than before the Imperial Army occupied it? There are still people saying such absurd things? As far as I'm aware, I haven't done much of anything to accommodate them."
"There certainly are. When the Republic ran this city, they frequently conscripted laborers without pay on the pretext of expanding trenches and reinforcing fortifications. At least the division commander doesn't make the citizens do such things."
......The Republic was truly out of its mind.
Having lost even the will to argue, Daniel sighed.
"But why do they think I'm going to leave the city?"
"Because it often happens that the occupation zone commander is replaced once a city stabilizes. I imagine they're protesting because if a decent commander leaves and some weirdo comes in, their heads will start to ache."
"I suppose......."
In the past, the General Staff Headquarters had urged him to return, but since it had been a recommendation rather than an order, he had been able to talk his way out of it somehow and refuse. Now, however, that was no longer possible.
Anyone who wasn't an idiot could see that the stabilization of Lakedrapol was now proceeding perfectly.
It was obvious that he would have a hard time holding out any longer, since the liaison officer Rimshel dispatched from the General Staff Headquarters (who for some reason wasn't going back) was surely filing reports in real time.
Just as he was wondering how much longer he could hold out here, there was a knock.
"Division Commander! This is Lieutenant Colonel Pelf, Intelligence Staff Officer! A telegram has arrived from the General Staff Headquarters, so I have come to see you!"
Thinking the time had finally come, Daniel took a deep breath before opening his mouth.
"Enter."
The door opened and Pelf came in.
Looking at Daniel's back as he gazed out the window, Pelf made his report.
"Division Commander. The General Staff Headquarters has requested your return. This time it is not a recommendation; I was told to inform you that as it is a direct order from Her Imperial Majesty, there is no right of refusal."
Daniel's hand, about to drink the remaining coffee in his cup, trembled slightly.
It was because he hadn't expected Selvia to issue the recall order directly.
Daniel turned around, placed the cup down on the desk, and faced Pelf.
"Her Imperial Majesty did?"
Although Selvia was quite prone to being clingy, she did not involve her personal feelings in grave matters of state.
In the first place, if Selvia had been moved by personal feelings, it would have been impossible for Daniel to remain in Lakedrapol for as long as six months.
Thinking that Selvia must have some intention behind this, Daniel asked again.
"Is there a particular reason Her Majesty ordered my return?"
"She did not tell me definitively, but......."
Pelf paused for a moment before continuing.
"I was told to inform you that the Vargov Project has been completed."
At those words, Daniel's eyes widened.
After a brief silence, Daniel's hands trembled; he was unable to hide his astonishment.
'The Vargov Project, that means.......'
It signified that the development of the nuclear weapon had succeeded.